{"id":1887,"date":"2018-02-23T17:54:30","date_gmt":"2018-02-23T08:54:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nedforney.com\/?p=1887"},"modified":"2018-02-26T13:59:03","modified_gmt":"2018-02-26T04:59:03","slug":"childhood-dog-tag-hunts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nedforney.com\/index.php\/2018\/02\/23\/childhood-dog-tag-hunts\/","title":{"rendered":"Childhood Dog Tag Hunts"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"Dog
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Country “A”: \u201cWe don\u2019t study that.\u201d \u00a0\u201cNo, our teachers never talk about it.\u201d \u201cI may have heard about it in a movie but not at school.\u201d<\/p>\n

Country “B”: \u201cOh, yes, we learn about it starting in grade school.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s taught as a great victory.\u201d \u201cWe study it in detail.”<\/p>\n

Living in Korea for the past two-and-a-half years, I\u2019ve asked many questions and received many answers. As someone who\u2019s researching and writing a book about the Korean War (specifically the Battle of Chosin and the Hungnam Evacuation<\/a>), I\u2019ve made it a priority to interview, talk with, and listen to my Korean friends, neighbors, and colleagues. It\u2019s one of the main reasons why I\u2019m here, and they\u2019ve taught me a lot.<\/p>\n

But the more I learn about Korea, unfortunately, the more I realize I’ll never totally understand this successful, dynamic, and complex country. I don\u2019t speak the language; I\u2019m not an historian or journalist; and I\u2019m not an \u201cexpert.\u201d I have, however, become somewhat of an amateur detective, a novice sleuth and aspiring writer of sorts.<\/p>\n

And I\u2019m also a career educator. Teaching is in my blood, and whenever I’m invited to give a presentation to middle, high school, or university students, I jump at the opportunity. I\u2019m always impressed with these young Koreans and their work ethic. Regrettably, I don\u2019t always feel the same about their curriculum.<\/p>\n

Nearly all the South Korean students and young people I\u2019ve met have a sketchy understanding of the Korean War. When asked about the three-year conflict that ravaged their country (and is technically not over<\/a>), they rarely have more than a superficial understanding of what happened from 1950-\u201853. They\u2019ve memorized a few key dates and facts, but their knowledge is limited.<\/p>\n

OK, maybe some of their answers are lost in translation, and they\u2019re embarrassed to speak in English. But there\u2019s more to it than that. When every<\/em> student replies \u201cNo\u201d when asked if they study the Battle of Chosin<\/a> at school, we\u2019re dealing with more than just a communication problem.<\/p>\n

After giving them a brief overview of the epic struggle at Chosin, or Changjin, Reservoir, students usually respond: \u201cMaybe since it’s an \u2018American\u2019 battle we don\u2019t cover it.\u201d Or “It was a defeat, right? Since it was a loss, maybe it\u2019s not included in our textbooks.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s disheartening to hear their excuses, but I don\u2019t blame them. The Korean education system is at fault. The way the Korean War is taught (what do you emphasize, what do you omit, and from what perspective do you tell the story) has always been an ideological battle between the left and right in Korea. Tragically, the facts about who, what, where, when, and why are becoming casualties of a political fight.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Earlier this month in a Korea Times<\/em> editorial, the newspaper\u2019s board brought attention to a recently submitted draft revision of Korea\u2019s secondary school history textbook guideline:<\/p>\n

The state-run Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation eliminated reference to the North Korean invasion and instead called for \u201clooking into the background of the war and the process of its development,” thus making it vague which side started the war.<\/em><\/p>\n

Obviously, not only are significant Korean War battles being deleted from South Korean textbooks, but there are now also calls to re-examine which side started the war. What? As a history teacher I\u2019m perplexed.<\/p>\n

But things are much different above the 38th parallel.<\/p>\n

Since December of last year, I\u2019ve met and talked with two North Korean defectors, a man in his twenties who escaped in 2009 and is now a university student in New York, and a middle-aged woman who defected in 2007 and lives in Seoul. When I asked them questions about the Korean War, their responses were identical. For North Koreans, they told me, studying the war is one of the most important aspects of their education.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not surprising. According to the Kim regime, the North, more specifically Kim Il-sung, won the war. Indoctrinating North Korean children is paramount to keeping this myth alive and education is the key. For Kim Jong-un and his minions, the glorious victory over the South – and its evil occupier, the US – must be taught and remembered by all.<\/p>\n

And then I ask about Chosin<\/a>. \u201cOh, yes,” they say. \u201cWe studied it carefully.” They were repeatedly told that Chosin was one of the greatest DPRK victories of the war. It\u2019s the battle where North Koreans (not Chinese), under the brilliant leadership of Kim Il-sung, fought and defeated the Americans and demonstrated their superhuman bravery and fortitude.<\/p>\n

But I recently heard something even more disturbing. The female defector I talked with said that as young girl she would visit the mountains around Chosin and look for metal tags (she couldn\u2019t recall the English word). Students, she remembered, would spend hours roaming the mountains searching for these hidden gems. If one was found it was like winning the lottery.<\/p>\n

I immediately realized what she was talking about and asked, “Were they dog tags?\u201d as I made a small, oblong circle with my fingers. \u201cYes!\u201d she replied.<\/p>\n

In a strange and sad twist of history, many key events of the Korean War are being eliminated and \u201crevised” in South Korea, while they\u2019re being manipulated and glorified in North Korea. I understand why the latter is happening but not the former.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s time for Korean War veterans and their families to make their voices heard. The Korean War must not be forgotten, and most importantly, must not be repeated<\/em>. Telling the story \u2013 the accurate story \u2013 of those who fought and died during the conflict is part of the healing and peace process. Let\u2019s all do our part.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\"Army
\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\tArmy Cpl. Vernon Douglas Presswood, a 19-year-old Southern Illinois man, died at the Battle of Chosin. Sixty-seven years later his remains were returned to the US. Many US servicemen listed as missing in action, or MIA, during the Korean War died at Chosin. Their dog tags, in many cases, are never found, even when their remains are returned. (Photo credit: herald-review.com)
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\n\t\t\t\t\"Marine
\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\tMarine cemetery at Hamhung, North Korea, December 1950. (Photo credit: US Marine Corps)
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\n\t\t\t\t\"Korea
\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\tEditorial from The Korea Times, February 7, 2018.<\/p>\n

Top\/featured picture<\/strong>:\u00a0Dog tag of Army PFC Philip Ackley, killed in action in North Korea. (Photo credit: The Washington Times)<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tFollow Ned on Facebook
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